Discover the world of Employer Branding. As the global leader in employer attractiveness research and insights, Universum delivers a full range of services to empower employers to better attract, recruit and retain talent.

The Global Leader in Employer Branding

Building the best employer brands

Consumer brands attract customers. Employer brands attract talent. The best brands from both of these are fanatical about building compelling, credible and authentic stories that will attract the largest number of quality customers and talent.

With top talent having more choices than ever in where and whom they can work, a strong employer brand can be a critical tool in getting the best talent. Universum’s trusted global rankings help first in allowing talent to find you and our extended set of research and activation solutions ensure that the best qualities of your employer brand are seen by the right talent at the right time.

Our History

While still an aspiring MBA student, Lars-Henrik Friis Molin founded Universum in 1988. Beginning with a class project to better improve the communication between students and the companies want to recruit them, Lars-Henrik wrote and distributed the first Universum student survey in Stockholm, Sweden. Like many exciting businesses, the results were enlightening enough to make the press. Employers saw these insights and were surprised by the results. They connected to the then-student, Lars-Henrik and asked to buy them and if additional questions could be asked. Universum was born.

Today, that small class project has transformed into an international corporation that delivers surveys to millions of students and professionals and provides Ideal Employer™ research, full-service communication and strategic consulting services to more than 1,200 clients globally.

Our scope

Globalization has made Talent acquisition a top CEO priority and a strong employer brand a necessity. Universum stands on the cutting edge of the talent marketplace, continually developing solutions that redefine modern employer branding.

With expertise in HR tech, research, design and communications, the Universum team is dynamic, quickly responding to the challenges and opportunities facing businesses looking for top talent.

Our global focus is reflected with teams in Stockholm, New York, Cologne, Stockholm, Singapore, Shanghai, etc.; all working to connect employers to top talent in over 40 countries.

Our Clients

Committing years of groundbreaking talent data collection with tested communication techniques has made Universum the leader in Employer Branding Analytics (EBA) and communication strategies. Many of the world’s largest companies, agencies, universities and academic institutions utilize Universum solutions to better understand, attract and retain top talent.

Our Team

Universum isn’t your typical organization. We’ve been around for 25 years and work across 46 countries, but we have the culture of a start-up and just over 200 employees.

Every day, we challenge ourselves to push boundaries and explore new possibilities. Our innovations not only impact the way we work, but are also shaping the future of a high-growth industry: Employer Branding.

Managing Director, APAC

Melissa Murray Bailey

President Americas

David Brudenell

Global VP, Product | Head of Digital, Americas

Are You a Best-in-Class Employer?

We serve companies both large and small that strive to be the best employers. Having over 25 years of experience in the field, Universum is a natural partner to help you excel in your employer branding journey.